Azkaban
by Writ-in-Fire-and-Ice
Summary: A mysterious lady appears on a depressing island and changes the course of history forever. And, maybe, just maybe, history's been changed for the better.
1. Azkaban at Night

Azkaban at Night

Prompt: Wild waves wreck wretchedly against a rocky shore.

Disclaimer: I'm flattered that you think I own Harry Potter. However, if you wish to speak with she who does, I must direct you across the ocean. In simpler words, Me no own Harry Potter.

EDIT: This chapter has been revised a little. Mostly fixing mistakes of any and all sort.

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><p>Wild waves wreck wretchedly against a rocky shore. A tall building spirals into the darkening clouds and even darker sky. The building is as twisted as those who inhabit it, and pieces poke out at the oddest angles. Much like the Burrow, the building seems to be held up by magic. However rather than the magic of love and family, this building seems to be held up by hate and evil; the justice that once held the building up long gone.<p>

The only way onto the dank and depressing island is a small decrepit boat. Yet somehow, someway, the lady standing on the shore completely bypassed it, for the old boat is still floating in its rotten dock. She walks silently across the sandy shore towards the building, contemplating what she is about to do. She shudders at the sight of the foul building, knowing exactly what unspeakable acts have occurred there.

She pauses at the doorway to the take a deep breath, noting the irony of there being no Auror. _And they think no one can break out of here? _

"1..." she whispers. The door creaks ominously as it opens.

"2..." She begins to climb the winding staircase that leads to the highest floor, the purported "High Security" floor. _Apparently high security means heaps of dementors, all for what? 10 cells?_

"3..." Slowly she makes her way up the stairs. The candles do nothing for the dark and gloomy atmosphere. _They really need an interior decorator_, she notes with amusement.

"4..." Finally, the lady reaches the top. She looks for a specific door. She smirks at how easy it is to break a prisoner out of Azkaban. _No wonder Barty Crouch got away with it. _Reaching the door she was looking for, she pushes on it.

The door gives way silently, revealing a small cell. Leaning in to the cell, she whispers a handful of words. She turns and leaves the door open a fraction, just enough so that any guard would think it closed.

As silently as she came, she leaves. Not a single trace of her having been there is left behind, except for a small magical signature and…

"FREEDOM!" a hoarse voices screams into the night. That yell was the result of weeks worth of planning and months worth of preparation. That same yell would change the course of history forever, erasing a painful future where death and destruction is more common than a cold. This night marked the beginning of the end for one old man, and a new beginning for one young child, a child that now had a chance at a normal life.


	2. The Other Shoe Falls

The Other Shoe Falls

Warning: Dumbledore bashing and Manipulative/Somewhat Evil! Dumbledore

Disclaimer: Once again, I'm flattered, but no. The lady, however, I _**do**_ own. Or at least, her personality, and if I ever feel like it, her back story.

Edit: Again, fixing mistakes and whatnot.

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><p>As much as she wished, the lady's work was not done. She takes a deep breath and opens the magnificent door that leads to one of most secure and secretive places in the whole of magical Britain. She walks confidently into the courtroom of the Wizengamot.<p>

"How dare you interrupt this important meeting!" the portly minister screeches at her; his face turning red. Instead of replying to him, she holds up a rat. Comprehension flashes across Albus Dumbledore's face.

"Honorable Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, I bring to you a matter of the utmost importance. Something far more important than anything you had planned to bicker over today. There was an innocent imprisoned in Azkaban."

Almost as one the court gasps in horror. _An innocent? In Azkaban? Scandalous!_ No one notices the small beetle fluttering around in joy. The lady motions for the court to quiet.

She pulls out her wand and screams out a spell in a language foreign to the wizards and witches of Britain. With a swish of her wand, the rat falls to the floor and begins to twitch erratically. Mere seconds later, where once was a rat, a man now lay.

The lady speaks confidently, her voice betraying none of her emotions, "I bring before you a traitor, Peter Pettigrew." Chaos erupts. _A dead man? A hero, now a traitor? What the bloody hell was going on?_

Dumbledore stands and the bickering of the wizards and witches and ends abruptly.

Before he can even open his mouth, the lady begins to speak, "Peter Pettigrew betrayed Lily and James Potter to Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. At his best, Pettigrew was simply a spy. At his worst, near the end of the war, he was: a murderer, a rapist, a terrorist, and one of Voldemort's top Death Eaters."

She paces while she waits for the information to sink in.

When she feels it has been long enough, she begins again, "The Potters changed Secret Keepers from Sirius Black to Peter Pettigrew sometime between late July and early September. They kept this a secret because they thought it would be the perfect ruse. Who would suspect Peter Pettigrew, a known coward, to be the Secret Keeper for people so high on Voldemort's To Kill list? Pettigrew saw his chance; he could frame Black for his crimes."

Suddenly, she whirls and around to face Dumbledore and begins to speak again, "Mr. Dumbledore did you or did you not cast the Fidelius Charm for the Potters over their place of residence?"

"I-I-I did." Dumbledore stutters, clearly surprised at the direction the question is taking.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but wouldn't you know if the Potters changed Secret Keepers?" No one notices a red-headed spirit at the back of the room smile smugly.

Seeming to have regained his composure, Dumbledore puts on his grandfatherly air and says, "Now, now, young lady, would I have testified so strongly against Mr. Black if I had known about the switch?" There are nods of agreement from his supporters around the room. The lady, however, glares at him with force enough to melt bone.

"Firstly, you did not testify. You made a _**statement**_. After all it's pretty hard to testify at a trial that _**never happened**_!" The court goes into yet another uproar. They calm themselves down, sensing that the lady may not be done.

"Secondly, sir, yes, you would have. You wanted Sirius locked where he couldn't interfere with your plans. After all, as Harry Potter's legal guardian, he would want to raise Harry. A Sirius-raised Harry would be strong and stubborn. That just wouldn't do, you need a weak and impressionable child for your plans."

Dumbledore paled as his plans fell apart in front of his eyes. There were things being thrown about, wrestling matches between old rivals, and the portly minister trying to silence it all. In the midst of the chaos, the lady stood smirking. _Ha, take that old man. Can't obliviate the whole Ministry of magic now can you?_

"All in favor of declaring Sirius Black innocent?"

A scribe reads out the outcome, "Innocent."

"All in favor of arresting Peter Percival Pettigrew and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore on the charges of treason, numerous counts of murder apiece, other various charges."

"Charged."

No one notices two ghosts, Lily and James Potter, smiling smugly at the back of the room. The date goes down into the history books, and the lady vanishes.

_The only trace she leaves behind is a world forever changed._


End file.
